Hyperdevotion Noire: Goddess Black Heart

Hyperdevotion Noire gets a lot of things right, but falters when it crosses the line from comedic hijinks into creepy territory. Regardless, it’s a solid SRPG, and sure to provide Neptunia fans with many hours of content and entertainment.

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Hyperdevotion Noire: Goddess Black Heart is a chibi-style strategy RPG where players collect and lead an army of game-referencing characters in turn-based battles. The "Lily System" allows characters to bond and unlock special abilities, while high definition visuals and challenging trap-filled maps make for a robust gaming experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

69%

Audience ScoreBased on 768 reviews

story95 positive mentions

grinding72 negative mentions

The game features a fun and complex tactics RPG system that allows for strategic gameplay.
Noire as the main character adds a unique twist to the story, appealing to fans of the series.
The chibi art style and character designs are charming and enjoyable for anime fans.

The game suffers from numerous technical issues, including crashes and poor pathfinding mechanics.
Some characters are poorly balanced, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
The story can feel repetitive and lacks depth, with many missions dragging on longer than necessary.

story
350 mentions
27 % positive mentions
66 % neutral mentions
7 % negative mentions
The story of the game is generally considered serviceable, with a mix of humor and typical anime tropes, but lacks depth and originality. While some players appreciate the character interactions and lighthearted narrative, others find it repetitive and filled with filler content. Overall, it appeals primarily to fans of the Neptunia series, offering a blend of fun moments and familiar themes, though it may not satisfy those seeking a profound or engaging storyline.
- “The story is a nice dive into Noire and her personality.”
- “The story is full of cute moments and funny dialogue (typical waifu stuff).”
- “The story is run of the mill, but the game has fun little moments that make it truly feel like a return to the Neptunia universe and it translates the RPG genre to turn-based tactics well.”
- “The self-insert was too off, and the story just seemed odd; no explanation about the new characters from the start, we don't really know and we get frustrated.”
- “It's not a particularly substantial or deep game, both when it comes to story and gameplay.”
- “When you think about how the story goes after the first few parts, it essentially becomes 'go to this place, talk to the general there, have a scuffle of some kind, the general joins you.' It's like that for the majority of the story, and honestly, a lot of it feels like filler.”
gameplay
218 mentions
26 % positive mentions
66 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this title has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the variety and mechanics, while others criticize its lack of depth and balance, leading to a repetitive experience. Technical issues, such as crashes and slow pacing, detract from the overall enjoyment, and many feel that the game fails to innovate within the tactical RPG genre. Despite these drawbacks, some players still find enjoyment in the strategic elements and character interactions, suggesting that the experience may vary significantly based on individual preferences.
- “Runs absolutely wonderfully on my modern machine, and I really love the Disgaea-inspired gameplay they gave to the Neptunia franchise.”
- “As it turns out, it was actually enjoyable and now I am going to 100% the whole game because I really enjoyed the gameplay and the characters as well... I recommend getting this game and trying it out for yourself.”
- “Gameplay is interesting and although slow-paced, it's enjoyable.”
- “My gameplay experience was marred by recurrent crashes, particularly during crucial moments like cutscenes before or after battles.”
- “Gameplay is the most important part of any game, so it's unfortunate that Hyperdevotion Noire makes quite a few missteps in that department.”
- “The main issue in this game is on the gameplay mechanics that are poorly implemented and I didn't really enjoy.”
grinding
74 mentions
3 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
97 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game has been widely criticized, with many players finding it excessively tedious and repetitive, particularly when aiming for 100% completion. Achievements and side tasks often require significant time investment, leading to frustration, especially in a slow-paced turn-based strategy environment. While some players enjoy the grind typical of the Neptunia series, others feel it detracts from the overall experience, making it a challenge primarily for completionists.
- “The grinding is real in this game if you want to 100%.”
- “Personally, I don't mind having to grind in most RPG games or in most other Hyperdimension games to an extent, but just the idea of having to constantly grind and replay the same missions in a slow-paced turn-based strategy game just to earn 100% achievement completion or bypass certain grind walls just feels mind-numbingly tedious.”
- “Chapter 9-2 features the most tedious task in the game, resulting in me spending 18 turns running around the battlefield and stacking boxes before I could really do anything.”
humor
64 mentions
97 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is largely appreciated by fans of the Neptunia series, characterized by its formulaic anime-style jokes, self-parodying characters, and funny dialogue. While many find the interactions and voice acting, particularly by Melissa Fahn as Neptune, to be highlights, some players feel that the humor can become repetitive and frustrating over time. Overall, the game maintains the charm and comedic elements typical of the franchise, though opinions vary on its effectiveness compared to previous titles.
- “I'd go as far as to say that Melissa Fahn's voiceovers for Neptune were the highlight of the game; she's brilliant in that role, and Neptune is a hilarious character.”
- “The story is full of cute moments and funny dialogue (typical waifu stuff).”
- “This game is great; it's funny like all the Neptunia games are, and the chibi forms of all the goddesses are so dang cute!”
- “Some achievements were not funny.”
- “Some achievements were not funny.”
music
44 mentions
41 % positive mentions
52 % neutral mentions
7 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many praising the soundtrack as enjoyable and fitting for the game. However, a significant number of reviewers noted that much of the music is recycled from previous titles in the franchise, leading to feelings of disappointment among long-time fans. Additionally, issues with abrupt looping and mixing were frequently mentioned, detracting from the overall experience.
- “Super Neptunia RPG was pretty awful in a lot of ways, but I enjoyed it because the art and the music were great, especially the music. I was reviewing the music on YouTube and I was like wow, this is better than the newer Neptunia games I've been playing, even better than the Ninja Wars game!”
- “Great game and love the soundtrack.”
- “The soundtracks and effects are perfect for the game.”
- “The music was not cut to loop seamlessly - it's just a jarring stop and start over.”
- “Most of the soundtrack is reused from previous games; though not a problem for newcomers, fans might feel a bit disappointed.”
- “The songs cut off in the middle of a note and just restart.”
graphics
42 mentions
24 % positive mentions
67 % neutral mentions
10 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many praising the charming chibi art style and its appeal to anime fans, while others criticize it for being outdated and lacking in quality. Some players experienced graphical lag and performance issues, particularly with NVIDIA graphics, which detracted from the overall experience. Overall, the graphics are considered above-average but not groundbreaking, making them a point of contention among players.
- “The character graphics in this game are as interesting as the Neptunia Rebirth 1 game, because they both have clear and charming image quality that really spoils the eyes of anime fans.”
- “Hyperdevotion has one of the biggest changes to the art style in the whole series, and honestly, it's not bad.”
- “+ Cute and awesome graphics with a good soundtrack.”
- “With annoying, tedious gameplay and graphics 4 generations out of style, this is for super fans only.”
- “1/5 the chibi art style makes the game look like sh*t.”
- “I have so many problems with this game and I constantly see graphic lag in-game.”
stability
18 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with numerous reports of crashes, freezes, and game-breaking bugs that significantly hinder gameplay. Users have experienced issues such as getting stuck in menus, enemies failing to move during battles, and an overall clumsy battle system that prolongs combat unnecessarily. Many reviewers believe the game is not in a sellable state due to these persistent stability problems.
- “The game still crashes and freezes.”
- “I do not believe this game should be sold in its buggy state.”
- “The PS Vita version of this game was notorious for being plagued with game-breaking bugs and glitches, many of which resulted in crashes and other nonsense that made the game almost unplayable.”
optimization
10 mentions
40 % positive mentions
30 % neutral mentions
30 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting a locked 30fps that often dips to around 28fps, leading to noticeable stuttering and performance issues. Additionally, users have experienced occasional crashes and sound disappearances, which can only be resolved by restarting the game. Overall, while some consider it a well-optimized port, the performance problems detract from the experience.
- “Super optimized ported game.”
- “Occasional crashing when selecting disc dev option due to denied memory access bug, sudden sound disappearances followed by performance drops fixed only by restarting the game.”
- “It does run at a weird 28fps, so yeah, a lot of stuttering and there is no way to fix this or improve the framerate to 60.”
- “Occasional crashing when selecting the disc dev option due to a denied memory access bug, sudden sound disappearances followed by performance drops fixed only by restarting the game.”
- “Performance: well, it runs at a locked 30fps but we all know where to go to unlock it.”
character development
8 mentions
25 % positive mentions
25 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
Character development in the game series is largely criticized for being minimal and unengaging, with some reviewers noting that while the character designs, particularly Neptune's, are appealing, they do not contribute to meaningful growth or depth in the narrative. Overall, the lack of substantial character development detracts from the overall experience, leaving players wanting more.
- “Cute and adorable character designs.”
- “Neptune's character design was more attractive to be used as the main character, leading the company to decide that Neptune would be the main character in most of the Neptune game series.”
- “The jokes are stale and character development is non-existent.”
- “It's not just the character development, the main plot is also not interesting to me.”
replayability
8 mentions
25 % positive mentions
38 % neutral mentions
38 % negative mentions
The reviews on replayability are mixed; while some users note a lack of replay value, many others highlight significant replayability through extra map boards and dynamic missions that offer changing rewards, encouraging players to revisit the game for character progression and new challenges.
- “Plenty of replay value trying to clear the extra map boards.”
- “+ They have replayable missions with rewards that change from the first time you beat them, giving you a reason to do it again (and a way to grind up any characters who may have lagged behind).”
- “- no replay value”
- “+ they have replayable missions with rewards that change from the first time you beat them, giving you a reason to do it again (and a way to grind up any characters who may have lagged behind)”
- “Plenty of replay value trying to clear the extra map boards”
emotional
4 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Users find the emotional aspect of the game to be highlighted by the heartwarming elements of the noire simulation section, despite acknowledging the low production values. Overall, the emotional engagement seems to resonate positively, even if expectations were tempered by previous experiences.
- “+ The noir sim section was a very nice touch and in some way heartwarming.”